AmCar Guide » Other

Top 10 of Twenty Eleven

Liquid — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:26:29 +0000

We’re finally gettin’ some traditions here. The original idea was to make a list of the best cars we found in 2011, not the cars made in that year, so, here’s Amcarguide’s top 10 best cars of 2011:

1#

The car: 1967 Vengeance Camaro
The reason: It is literally the best damn pro tourer we’ve ever found.

2#

The car: 1969 RoadRunner “RoadKill”
The reason: badass… evil… awesome…

The car: 1967 Nova by the Roadster Shop
The reason: extraordinary front grille

The car: 1971 Mustang “Project Pegasus”
The reason: that’s the car Angels drive in Heaven

5#

The car: Custom Magnum SRT8
The reason: perfect minimal tune – when a lil’ means a lot

6#

The car: 2005 300C “Night Light”
The reason: suicide doors on coupe

7#

The car: HXC ‘Cuda
The reason: that’s the next ‘Cuda Nash Bridges would drive…

8#

The car: 2011 Pontiac Banshee
The reason: ’cause we want Pontiac back!

9#

The car: Custom Cadillac
The reason: as its hood says “standard of the world”

10#

The car: 2011 Retro Mustang by John Heermann
The reason: for respecting the retro

Top 10 of Twenty Ten

Liquid — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:56:34 +0000

It is a little late to announce the best cars of 2010, but frankly we came up with this idea only now and it is too early to announce the 2011 ones, so… The idea was to choose from the cars we found in that particular year, not the cars made in that year, so, here’s Amcarguide’s top 10 best cars of 2010:

Position: #1
The car: Miss Pearl – 1954 Cadillac
Reason: ’cause it is an ultimate land yacht. Pure, clean and snow white beauty.

Position: #2The car: The Kuda
Reason: ’cause it is so clean it hurts.

Position: #3
The car: Mustang RTR-X
Reason: we’re still sentimental about the NFS game, we love protourers, it’s badass.

Position: #4
The car: Yannic’s Rat Rod
Reason: ’cause it is the best modern rat we’ve ever found.

Position: #5
The car: Posies Aeroliner Sport
Reason: ’cause it’s graceful, clean and hot.

Position: #6
The car: Welderup Rat Rod
Reason: pure rat with tons of smoke. Brave enough to be diesel one.

Position: #7
The car: 1955 Chevy NewMad
Reason: A perfect tribute to NoMads.

Position: #8
The car: ETC Camaro
Reason: Pure evil. Real badass. Asphalt ripper.

Position: #9
The car: Breathless – 1952 Buick Riviera
Reason: ’cause it is breathless for sure.

Position: #10
The car: Schramm’s Charger
Reason: for upholding the retro. Propper beast.

Amazing muscle car photos

Liquid — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:07:21 +0000

Check out these magnificent muscle car photos made by talented photographer Dave Wendt. It took him 20 years to develop unique lighting and post-production techniques to get studio-like shots without studio. He’s got amazing portfolio with all types of vehicles, but we provide the muscle car one only. Check out his link below for other portfolios.
All images ©Dave Wendt, www.davewendt.com, used with permission.

New car is a depreciating asset

Liquid — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:43:07 +0000

If you are buying a new car it is really important to remember that a car is not an investment – a new car is a depreciating asset. Over time it loses its value so buying a new car is not cost effective.

New cars deprecate in value over time and in the first year your new car will lose its most value. In fact after fuel depreciation is the biggest cost of motoring. In the first year the average car will lose around 40 per cent of its value. But this varies greatly from car to car and some popular models will only depreciate by only 10 per cent in the first year, but this is still a big depreciation.

Supposing you do 10,000 miles a year, after three years the average car will lose around 60 per cent of its value. This means that in just three years your car is worth less than half of what you paid for it.

What’s more even super cars are not immune from depreciation as a Porsche 911 will lose 10 per cent of its value in the first year. However, in general the prestigious makes such as BMW, Audi and Mercedes depreciate far less then the budget end of the market, as it is felt that they stand up better to general wear & tear.

However, family cars can lose as much as 60 per cent of their value in just three years. Research shows that the average three year old car loses £3.10 per day in value. However, an average new car will lose around £38 a day, which is a big loss. A car like the Audi A8 4.2 TDI Quattro SE has a depreciation value of about £185 a day for the first six months.

In fact, the moment you drive your new car off the forecourt it starts to lose value so by buying second hand you are not losing as much money. Even buying a car that is just one year old can help as most of the depreciation happens in the first year of car ownership.
If you want to view some used cars visit www.motors.co.uk.

What to Expect: Performance Chips on Muscle Cars

Liquid — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:38:04 +0000

When you’re deciding how to best upgrade your muscle car, you have a lot to consider. The days of basic tuning are over, and maintaining competitiveness on the road generally requires significant upgrading to a vehicle’s performance technology. Instead of spending hours and hours installing performance parts like turbochargers, many muscle car drivers are turning to a more recent technology that can also boost a car’s on-road performance: performance chips. They are certainly both pros and cons to using one on your muscle car, and below we’ll try to provide you with information so you can make an informed decision prior to installation.

Installation
For those muscle car enthusiasts who know their way around their cars in and out, up and down, installation of physical performance parts may not be a problem. Though they can take hours to complete, sometimes over several days, they are often warranted, as you can see substantial horsepower gains from said upgrades. For those who are less technically inclined, or for those who have little time to invest in such upgrades, a performance chip is a great alternative. It can often be installed in well under an hour, and many versions nowadays are simple plug-and-play models. More recent chips don’t even require a hard reboot of the ECU, saving you additional time during the installation process. And since only simple tools are needed to complete the installation, it’s quite an easy process overall.

Use with other Performance Parts
Muscle cars are renowned for their use of multiple performance enhancements, as a single add-on isn’t always enough to remain competitive on the road or track. Fortunately, performance chips are most often capable of working in conjunction with other performance parts, and should not hinder their effectiveness in any way. So if you want to pair a supercharger with a chip, you can go right ahead and do so. This may vary from vehicle to vehicle and from part to part, but generally, this holds true for most situations and circumstances.

Performance Results
Many muscle car drivers want the most they can get in terms of performance gains, and while a chip can offer substantial improvements, they certainly aren’t in league with something like a turbocharger. A turbocharger can provide up to a 400 horsepower gain when properly installed, while a performance chip, when paired with the right setup, can provide up to a 60 horsepower gain. So for many muscle car owners, a chip alone isn’t quite enough, though it does offer a boost and can be a great, inexpensive enhancer when paired with a turbocharger or nitrous kit. A performance computer chip can also provide greater fuel economy to a vehicle, so your gasoline bill should be a bit lighter as well.

Tips for buying used muscle cars

Liquid — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:16:57 +0000

Finally managed to save enough cash for your first muscle car? Good. We envy you… And we’d also want to give you a few pieces of advice before you start hunting your dream motor from a range of cars for sale.

About a $30K muscle car.

First of all, do some homework on studying VIN, RPO and transmission codes, rear end, paint, interior codes, etc – you don’t want to over pay for a car that is a clone. There’s a saying “numbers are correct” – this means your muscle car is still original and the same that came from factory and it will always be much more valuable than the one that has its drivetrain components mismatched. There is information available that shows the serial numbers of engine, transmission and other parts [the engine being the most important one].

Have enough money

If you’re trying to buy a muscle car that will need some [or a lot] of extra investment, be sure you’ll be able to get those missing or damaged parts – not only affording, but finding them as well. Spend some time with equipment catalogs, replacement body panel catalogs, OEM and NOS sources ["original equipment manufacturer" and "new old stock"]. One of ways to start restoring your car may be getting a damaged but decent muscle car with matching numbers and use it as a donor car – it may have its body panels seriously damaged while all the powertrain parts will hopefully be good enough to re-use. Mostly this way is cheaper than buying separate parts from different sources.

Watch for trouble

If you’re looking for the restored muscle car, be sure to check some trouble spots – the trunk under the carpet, previous accident marks under the car, leaking spots in the engine bay [a certain number of small oil leaks is almost guaranteed]. Check the suspension at each corner, the color of the oil inside the filler cap. If your potential muscle car has burning oil [blue smoke], loose manual or slow automatic gear change it may get expensive to fix. It is wise to hire a professional for this inspection – you may save a lot of money. He can evaluate the level of restoration and car’s value or even possible future investment into it.

Behave wisely

Don’t treat a classic or muscle car the way you might treat any other car. Even though it has simple mechanical and electrical features there are a lot of places that need oiling and greasing. Also remember to ask what maintenance has been carried out by the previous owner.
After you buy your muscle car, go to classic car insurance agencies. your muscle car has value that most agencies don’t want to take into account – choose wisely.

Muscle Car Girls

Liquid — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:36:40 +0000

It is hard to choose between a girl and a car, but what if the car is a muscle one?… Check out our new “Car Girls” category and decide Yourself what’s better.

World’s smallest Chevrolet 327 V8 engine

Liquid — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:09:20 +0000

When this Chevy V8 engine was introduced back in 1962 it was the most powerful production small-block V8 untill LS6 came in 2001. 327 cubic engine was single-cam, natural aspirated. One of the petrolheads, Jim Moyer, expressed his respect to this engine by building its miniature -- the 1/6th scale model that actually works. Jim spend a lot of time fabricating all the parts -- block, head, crank, pistons, cam and others. The mini engine has spark ignition, oil system that are exactly like the ones from 327 muscle.
Even though it works quite well, this Chevrolet V8 mini engine still need improvements in order to run it longer: water-pump, carburetor, valve caps.

Top 10 facts about Chuck Norris and muscle cars

Liquid — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:21:58 +0000

Amcarguide.com provides Top 10 facts about muscle cars and world’s most famous super star – the incredible Chuck Norris. The man that counted to infinity twice, the one that can unscramble the egg, the one that the dark is affraid of…. He’s Chuck Norris. Here’re the facts:

1. Chuck Norris once destroyed a muscle car just because he wanted to check if it has more muscle than him.

2. Chuck Norris sometimes drives Ford Mustang. He still thinks it is a pony, so he sits on the roof and kicks both doors to start it.

3. Chuck Norris thought that Plymouth Road Runner is a sportsman and got it into race once. Plymouth was 25 seconds behind Chuck.

4. Some say that one of the two Shelby Super Snake Cobras was destroyed by self-murdered. All we know is that the car didn’t look both ways when it drove by Chuck Norris.

5. Chuck Norris qualified with a top speed of 324 mph at the Daytona 500, without a car.

6. Chuck Norris can jump-start a car using jumper cables attached to his nipples.

7. Chuck Norris can make Plymouth Barracuda swim. Backwards…

8. Chuck Norris drove Dodge Ram in “Walker Texas Ranger” TV series not because it was cool truck – it was the only one car that had suspension strong enough to carry Chuck for more than 10 minutes.

9. Chuck Norris approved amcarguide.com in his own directory that has page rank 11.

10. Chuck Norris’ favorite car is the Karate Corvette.

The General Lee 1969 Charger

Liquid — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:55:54 +0000

This 1969 muscle car was used to be named as the most recognizable car in the world. Well, we believe this may be true in the USA, because it was used in famous TV series The Dukes of Hazzard [1979-1985].
The Dodge Charger was named General Lee after Confederate general Robert E. Lee and was painted in flat orange color. It had the picture of Confederate battle flag on the roof, “01″ number and its name on each door. The doors were welded shut and the windows were always open – in order to perform chases and stunt jumps [in almost every episode]. It also ment that the Duke cousins had to climb in /out through windows. The horn sounded like anthem Dixie [Confederate States].
318, 383, 440 V8 engines varied in the show although the official one was 383 cubic. 440-cubic powered engines usually were used for the higher and longer jumps. The exhaust was basic, mostly with the pipe cut right before the rear end.

There also was The Dukes of Hazzard movie [2005] where some changes to the Charger were made. Cooter repaired General Lee after it was vandalized by Boss Hogg’s guys – he repainted it in a bright orange, replaced the engine with a Hemi, added Vector 10-spoke “turbine” wheels, redesigned the “01″ number, added black grille and “General Lee” text right above the door.

The WCC guys also did a new Charger into something that’s have a lot in common with General Lee – 4-doors saloon was converted into 2-door coupe, the body was painted in orange, the roof had a flag and both doors had “01″. Nice and modern interpretation.. Just like a few more others.